Which statement best illustrates syntax?

• A. The meaning of a word
• B. The order of words in a sentence
• C. The phonetic articulation of sounds
• D. The social use of language in communication

Answer: (B)

Syntax describes how words are arranged to show grammatical relationships in a sentence. The best illustration is the order of words, because this arrangement determines who is performing the action, who is receiving it, and how the different parts of the sentence relate to one another. For example, in English the typical subject-verb-object order makes clear who does what to whom, and shifting that order changes the meaning or the role assignments, even when the same words are used. That focus on structure—how the components fit together in a sentence—is what syntax is all about.

The other options point to different aspects of language: the meaning of a word concerns semantics, the phonetic articulation of sounds concerns phonology or pronunciation, and the social use of language in communication concerns pragmatics or sociolinguistics. These are important, but they describe different layers of language rather than the rules that govern word arrangement.